Strike
By Vivian Ihechu
Lagos , May 28, 2018 (NAN) A group, the Activists United Against Graft and Anti-People (AUGAPOL), says there is need for a constitutional provision to regulate union and labour activities in the health sector.
They made the call at a news conference on Monday in Lagos, to address incessant strikes in the sector, especially the current by the Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU).
The Coordinator of AUGAPOL, Mr Mark Adebayo said: “There is need to call national and international attention to the huge humanitarian disaster resulting from the prolonged strike by the JOHESU.
“As we sit here now, in the last five minutes, a minimum of ten Nigerian lives might have been lost as a direct consequence of the JOHESU strike.
“We concede the right of every workers’ union to embark on industrial action as a weapon of negotiation for better conditions of service.
“However, it is morally, ethically and logically wrong for the health workers to continue to hold a country of 180 million people to ransom by their unnecessarily prolonged strike since April 17,’’ he said.
“We propose a constitutional intervention to strictly regulate industrial disputes and resolutions in a way that will not amount to loss of human lives.
“If military and police personnel are constitutionally restricted from going on strike because of the important nature of their jobs, we believe that medical personnel, who have very important role of saving lives should also be restricted.
“However, robust provisions should be made in the constitution for them to negotiate for better conditions of service.’’
Adebayo said the current strike had claimed innumerable lives and those suffering the consequences were neither the politicians in government nor their families, but regular Nigerians who suffer and die in the process.
“While appreciating the rights of workers, JOHESU inclusive, to ventilate their grievances, the current dispute which is almost seven weeks old is ill-timed and has affected patients.
“Many patients in Nigerian hospitals come from poor family backgrounds and the JOHESU strike is having negative effects on them because they cannot afford private hospital bills.
“We urge members of JOHESU to resume at their duty posts.
“JOHESU should also listen to all entreaties by the National Assembly, elder statesmen, notable groups and associations that they should shelve the ongoing strike while negotiation continues,’’ Adebayo said.
“AUGAPOL also calls on the FG to, with immediate effect, make good their intention to implement without delay the `no work, no pay’ policy as applicable.
“They should also enforce the industrial court judgment which had hitherto mandated all members of JOHESU to resume at their duty posts as the strike embarked upon is faulty and procedurally incorrect.
“The lives of Nigerians searching for good and qualitative healthcare delivery should be a subject of utmost importance, especially at a time when there is an outbreak of Cholera in some parts of Nigeria.
“Also, the recent return of Ebola in the DRC is a bad signal that requires vigilance and surveillance; which will require the full cooperation of all health professionals to keep the disease at bay.
“We call on Nigerians to rise to the occasion and compel JOHESU to see reason and return to work, especially in the light of government’s concession to some of their demands,’’ said Toyin Raheem, Chairman, Campaign Against Corruption and Bad Governance (CACOBAG)/ Secretary AUGAPOL. (NAN)
VIV/PDE
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(Editing by Peter Ejiofor)